Finance Lab Now Open
Walsh College Opens 1,400 Square-Foot Finance Lab To Transform Finance Education Experience
From left to right: John Moore, Ph.D., associate professor, Finance; Louise August, Ph.D., associate professor, Finance; Stephanie W. Bergeron, president; and Greg Todd, associate professor, Finance
On Wednesday, January 9, 2013, Walsh College President and CEO Stephanie Bergeron, along with students, faculty, employers and community leaders, gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the college’s highly sophisticated, interactive finance lab at the Walsh College Troy Campus.
The new 1,400 square-foot, glass encased finance lab will provide students with a hands-on environment to examine the principles of market structure and learn the software programs which drive the financial marketplace. The lab is an extension of Walsh’s philosophy to give students the real world experience employers are seeking in today’s competitive job market.
The finance lab gives students a taste of Wall Street with 12 Bloomberg terminals, several large flat screen televisions tuned to market and financial reports, and breakout rooms where students can examine current market conditions, trends and discuss future projections. Financial information continuously updates on an impressive LED ticker along the top of the lab wall, giving students a real-time glimpse into the latest market movement and news.
“Walsh College’s interactive finance lab will change the way we teach financial courses,” said Walsh College Professor Linda Wiechowski, chair of the finance and economics department. “Our new lab will provide students with the knowledge and tools they need to fine-tune their skills and increase their marketability.”
Specifically, the lab will be used to enhance the learning experience in investment courses, portfolio courses, financial markets courses, international finance courses, financial management courses and economics courses. In addition to academic use, Walsh College plans to invite the public to the lab for educational and informational events such as financial planning seminars and private investment education programs.
Walsh College and the Finance Lab
“Live. Breathe. Business.” It is not just a slogan for our marketing plan. From the day Walsh Institute first opened its doors in 1922, the objective of the college has been to contribute to the growth of the Metro Detroit region. From the Great Depression and through every recession, Walsh College has provided students with a practical blend of business theory and real-world application that can be put to work immediately, empowering our graduates to help their companies succeed in a complex and rapidly changing business environment.
The Walsh College Finance and Economics faculty:
John Moore, Ph.D., CPA; Louise August, Ph.D., CPA; Greg Todd, CMA; and Chair Linda Wiechowski, Ph.D.
Today, the College faces the challenge of teaching a new, real-world skill set to students. To enhance our competitiveness, particularly in the global financial marketplace, we created the highly sophisticated, interactive Finance Lab. Named funding opportunities start at $25,000.
The Finance Lab will include technologies to deliver Wall Street and world markets to students. We will employ Bloomberg, Stock Track, and CRSP Research software, among others. A full-color LED ticker winds along the top of this area’s outer wall with a continuous live feed of current stock prices and programmable messages. The Finance Lab is expected to significantly improve the learning experience for Walsh students. At the same time, it will serve as a lifelong education, research, and financial literacy resource for educators, area businesses and community residents.
The Finance Lab’s research tools and databases will be useful to students in accounting, economics, MBA, business information systems, and information assurance courses. The Lab’s large-screen video displays will provide marketing and management students with the resources to produce colorful, multimedia presentations with impact.